This invention relates to an apparatus for the simultaneous drying and smoothing of washed articles of clothing, having a treating chamber in the form of a tunnel and a transport apparatus which conveys the articles of clothing hanging on clothes hangers through the tunnel in a lateral or transverse attitude.
In a well known apparatus of this type (U.S. Pat. No. 3,257,739), the tunnel-like treating chamber has entrance and discharge openings which are formed in such a manner that the articles of clothing, for example, dresses and shirts, can be conveyed therethrough with their front or back side forward, i.e., in the lateral attitude position. The entrance and exit openings of the tunnel are thereby relatively large. The large entrance and exit openings particularly result in the fact that a substantial amount of steam, hot air and sound leaves the tunnel and travels into the room where the apparatus is set up and there have a particularly negative influence on the working conditions of the servicing personnel.
In another known apparatus (DTOS 2,100,116 and 2,166,328) tunnel, which forms an angle, the position of the articles of clothing is changed relative to the conveyance direction of the transport device in the course of the conveyance thereof through the tunnel. The articles of clothing are transported through the steam zone of the tunnel first in the longitudinal attitude or position i.e. with one of their narrow sides forward, and then in the lateral position, passing through the drying zone thereof only in the lateral position. The articles of clothing are fed into the tunnel in the longitudinal position and leave same, after completion of the treatment, in the same position. The entrance and exit openings of the tunnel are thus substantially smaller than those in the other known apparatus having a feed and discharge of the articles of clothing in the lateral position. The particular disadvantage of this apparatus, however, is that the articles of clothing are steamed directly after their passage through the entrance opening of the tunnel by means of steam jet devices. Thus, in this device steam and sound escape to an undesirable degree through the entrance opening into the room in which the apparatus is set up. The relationships on the exit side of the tunnel are similar.
Thus, the disadvantages with the known apparatuses are that a substantial amount of steam, hot air and sound escape through the entrance and exit openings of the tunnel into the room where the apparatus is set up which have a negative effect on the working conditions of the servicing personnel, particularly when the articles of clothing are conveyed through the entrance and exit openings in a lateral position. In addition, the effectiveness of these apparatuses is negatively influenced as a result of the loss of energy.